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Disneyland to Sin City Express? Again, Jindal Didn’t Let Facts Get in His Way.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal leveled a colorful if well-worn zinger at Democrats and at Las Vegas on Tuesday in the nationally broadcast Republican response to the presidentâ€™s address to Congress.

Jindal repeated a favorite Republican explanation for why they voted en masse against President Barack Obamaâ€™s $787 billion economic recovery package. He said the bill â€œis larded with wasteful spendingâ€ that includes â€œ$8 billion for high-speed rail projects, such as a magnetic levitation line from Las Vegas to Disneyland.â€

It was a strong line, one Republicans have used for weeks.

And it is false.

The bill includes no money for the long-sought high-speed rail link between Southern California and Las Vegas. Instead, the recovery bill signed into law last week allocates $8 billion and launches a competitive process requiring proposals for high-speed rail projects to compete for the money.

â€œThereâ€™s nothing in the language that says, â€˜Las Vegas to Disneyland,â€™â€‰â€ said Rob Kulat, a spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration.

You have to read the whole article to see The Las Vegas Sun‘s Lisa Mascaro fully debunk this constantly used GOP line on “The Sin City Express”. Basically, the Economic Recovery Act will allow several rail proposals to compete for funds that will be distributed by the Federal Rail Administration. If the Orange County-Las Vegas rail line is deemed acceptable, the program is funded. If not, it’s not. It’s really as simple as that.

Also, this isn’t the ridiculous “Disneyland Monorail” that the GOP has made it out to be. Instead, it would originate from the new Anaheim Transportation Center that’s already designated to anchor the soon-to-be-built high-speed rail line to Northern California. This rail line would provide a safer, faster, and cleaner alternative for people traveling between Southern California and Southern Nevada.

So why don’t Republicans like it? They still can’t understand the concept of government? They can’t look beyond “the car culture” for real transit alternatives? They want to deride any public works project that will improve our infrastructure and create good jobs as “pork” and “earmarks”? Perhaps all of the above?

So again, Bobby Jindal’s rhetoric has been weighed and found wanting. There’s no required funding for a “Disney to Sin City Express”. And if an Anaheim to Las Vegas high-speed rail line is approved, it will be because it’s a good investment of our tax dollars. Case closed.